February, 2005

Thanks to Easter's tie to the Lunar Calendar, every three to four years on average, Lent falls early. This is one of those years.

And so, although most of us have just barely put away the Christmas decorations, Ash Wednesday is just around the corner, landing this year on February 9. As we do every year, we will conduct four services that day, 7:00 am, 12 noon, 4:30 pm and 7:30 pm, so that everyone should be able to participate in the Ash Wednesday liturgy, including the Imposition of Ashes.

On this last, I'm sometimes asked about this custom as it relates to the Gospel for that day (Matt 6:1-6, 16-21), since Jesus there discourages his listeners from “disfiguring their faces so as to show others that they are fasting” (v. 16). Doesn't this prohibition fly in the face of our current liturgical practice?

Two considerations indicate otherwise. First of all, Jesus refers here to private fasting, as opposed to public observances, such as the biblically prescribed fast of Yom Kippur (Leviticus 23:27-32). In the former, disfiguring your face made you stand out for your (supposed) piety. In public observances, however, everyone in the congregation humbled themselves before God. No one stood out.

Secondly, in the Israel of Jesus' day, public religious festivals and fasts served as one of the ways that the People of Israel could be a “Light to the Nations” that surrounded them (Isaiah 42:6). This was even more so the case for the communities of Jews spread around the Roman Empire (“the Diaspora”), since they lived in the midst of Pagan enclaves. Their faithful observances of the religious celebrations pointed beyond themselves to the One True God, whom they worshiped.

So too is it for us today. We live in a post-Constantinian Era where religious pluralism has become the norm. On Ash Wednesday, legions of Christians leave services with ashes on their foreheads and then head out into the world. In doing so, we stand together in common witness to our faith in Jesus Christ. We show the world that our belief in the Gospel message of salvation is important and heartfelt. Who knows, it might even lead someone to inquire about our beliefs, opening the door for us to share our faith.

Of course, what I have just written holds good only for Ash Wednesday and Good Friday (and for all Fridays in Lent, if you and your family have Anglo-Catholic leanings). Beyond that, Jesus' teaching applies: if you fast on your own, wipe off your face, wear a smile, and don't mention to anyone that you're hungry!

In any case, fasting is worth nothing unless it is done with a repentant heart, one desiring to “do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8). Keep that always at the forefront of your mind as Lent approaches.

During the remainder of the Wednesdays in Lent (except Holy Week), we will continue our custom of gathering at 6:30 pm for Lenten Suppers, dispersing to Lenten classes at 7:00 pm, and re-gathering in the Church for Holy Communion at 8:00 pm. Please read Frances Sessums and Mari Lynn Bland's articles for more information on the study programs for our children and young people.

For the adults, we will be offering three study options: John Frazier will lead a class on Contemporary Christian Ethics, Helen McKee a class on Addiction Spirituality, and I will present a study entitled Finding God in The Lord of the Rings. I hope that many of you will be able to join in these always rewarding sessions, which are in addition to my Sunday Morning Inquirers' Class (10:15-11:05 am) and Jane Piver's Confirmation Class for young people, which will be starting up later in the month on Sunday evenings, 5:00-6:00 pm.

In the meantime, enjoy the rest of this year's brief Epiphany. Before we know it, our Church's holiest season will be upon us!

Faithfully,

Donald D. Binder+

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